Self-filling fountain pen



L. M. TEBBEL SELF FILLING FOUNTAIN PEN Filed Feb. 2, 1925 Sept. 22, 1925.

Patented Sept. 22, 1925.

LEWIS M. TEBBEL, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

SELF-FILLING FOUNTAIN PEN.

Application filed February 2, 1925. Serial No. 6,333.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I. Lnwis M. T EBBEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in thecounty of Spokane and State ofVVashington, have invented new and useful Improvements in Self-Filling Fount ain Pens, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements'in self filling fountain pens and has to do with the closed barrel type wherein the collapsin means is actuated from the butt or rear ent of the pen barrel.

A feature of special importance resides in the provision of a very materially increased leverage, over pens of this. general type now known to me thereby not only rendering the collapsing movement easier but surer and more definite.

Another feature consists in relieving the ink sack of. any pull or drag as a re sult of collapsing movement of the sack bar, and also freeing the sack bar from the neces- 2 sity of sliding along the sack as the latter is 5 being collapsed.

. y invention also includes a novel form of lever which is constructed and arranged to not only afford an increased leverage, but which is tiltably or pivotally mounted in such a manner as to impart an endwise movement to the sack bar toward the pen end of "the barrel so as to avoid slippage of the bar along thesack as the latter is being dc- Hated. i

My invention includes many other features which will be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing and which will be more particularly pointed out in and bythe appended claims.

In thedrawingz+ Fig. 1, is a view partly in section and partly in elevation, showing the most improved form of my invention with the sack inflated.

Fig. 2, is a sectional view showing the manner of deflating the ink sack. v

Fig. 3, isa plan View of the deflating or collapsing mechanism detached from the pen barrel. I

Fig. 4, is .a view in side elevation of said mechanism. l

Fig. 5, is a detailplan view of a portion of the lever showing the same provided with pivot trunnions for epnnection with. the sack Fig. 6, is a sectional view on line 6-6 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 7, is a sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 3.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the different figures of the drawing.

As shown, 1 designates the usual pen barrel in which the usual pen section 2, tele-v scopes. The pen section 2. carries the feed bar and pen, and to which the usual ink sack 3, is secured. In this type of pen, the pen section 2, is frictionally detachable with the barrel 1, and can be removed or attached.

thereto, and when being assembled, the ink sack 3, is inserted into the barrel 1, in. the usual manner. construction, the ink sack is of such diameter, when inflated, that it substantially fills the cross sectional interior of the barrel 1. The rear or butt end of the barrel 1 is reduced at 41:, forming a shoulder 5, and is exteriorly threaded so that a cap 6, maf, be screwed onto or off from the barrel.

I will next referto the sack collapsing mechanism which forms the invention herein claimed.

This improved mechanism includes a lever which I will first describe vin detail and which, as shown, is formed of a single strip of metal. One end of said lever, as indicated at 7, constitutes the baractuating section which is operatively associated with a sack deflating bar 8, in a manner to be later described. The remaining end of said lever forms a fingeregrip section 9, and extends endwise outwardly through the barrel 1, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. An intermediate portion of the lever is looped to form a pivot section and one limb 10, of said loop, and which is the longer limb, forms a continuation of section 7 and is shown bent at substantially right angles thereto. The remaining limb 11. which is the shorter limb, forms. a continuation of section 9, which lat ter is bent. at substantially right angles thereto. These limbslO and 11, are disposed in flat abutting relation andthe resulting structure serves very materially to strengthen the pivot section of the lever. The bight 12, of the. looped pivot section, is adapted to coact with a pivo t'pin 13, which is inserted through the barrel 1 as clearly shown in Figs. "1' 6. The extreme end 14, of section 7, is proyided with'pivot trulk It will be noted that in this nions 15, projecting laterally therefrom, whereto the bar 8, is pivotally connected with section 7.

Reference will next be made to bar 8.

Said bar 8 is of a length substantially co; extensive with the length of the deflatable portion of the sack 3, as shown. Near its central portion, said bar has downwardly extending flanges 16 which taper towards and merge into the ends 17 and 18, of said bar 8, so that the end portions will only be about the thickness of the metal of which the bar is formed. The flanges 16, are provided with pivot holes into which the pivot trunnions 15, are suitably fitted, as shown. This pivotal connection of section 7 and bar 8 is sufficiently nearer end 18, of said bar, than end 17, thereof, so that the lever will cause end 18 to collapse the rear end of sack 3 first, and gradually collapse the remainder thereof. This is clearly an advantage in eliminating air pockets and the consequent defective deflation resulting therefrom.

The bar 8, is not flat on its upper face, but the pen end 17, is downwardly arched from the center of the bar so that when the rear portion of bar 8, lies flat on section 7, the forward or pen end 17 will be in close relation to the barrel 1, as shown in Fig. 4, thereby avoiding any obstructing interfer: ence when inserting the sack 3, into the barrel.

When a sack deflating bar is pivotally connected with a lever that tilts the bar into a sack deflating position, there has heretofore been encountered an objectionable pull or drag by reason of the fact that the bar was slightly drawn rearwardly, or away from the pen end, when being swung into a deflating position. This defective action was due to the fact that the sack was moved laterally of the barrel, the tendency being to tighten or draw taut that portion of the sack indicated at 19. Thus, it will be clear that if in deflating the sack the bar 8, were drawn rearwardly, there would have to be some sliding movement of the bar with respect to the sack. This sliding movement, by reason of the added friction, resulted in the mechanism not only working under greater resistance, but also caused undue wear on the sack at just that area thereof where the wear is most objectionable and where the sacks almost always first wear out,

It is one of the primary objects of this invention to prevent such defective action of the bar 8, and I will next describethe manner and means whereby this is accomplished.

It will be noted, in Fig. 1, that bar 8 and section 7., are on one diametricfll Side of the longitudinal axis aa, of the pen barrel 1. Now the pivot section extends across the bore of the barrel 1, and the pivot pin 13 is on that side of line afa diametrically opposite the side on which bar 8 and section 7 are disposed. This disposition of the tilting or pivotal axis of the lever is such that viewing Fig. 2, it will be clear that pin 13, is above bar 8, even when said bar isin a full deflating position. construction, it will be clear that instead of pulling bar 8. away from the pen end of the barrel 1, bar 8 is actually shifted slightly toward the pen end, while it is being swung into a deflating position. This effectively relieves portion 19, of sack 3, from any strain. In fact, the shifting movement of bar 8, forwardly, is sufiicient to entirely neutralize any tautness in the sack o and permit portion 19 to be as free from tension as any other part of the sack. In Fig. 2, 7/ designates the position of trunnion 15, when the bar 8, is in a non-deflating position, and the curved line 0 is the are which the pivotal connection described about pivot 13, in moving from a nondeflating to a deflating position. The distance d is the extent of shift of the bar 8, toward the pen end of barrel 1, which in practice, in a large size pen, amounts to approximately three one hundredths of an inch. It will be readily under,- stood that if pin 13, were disposed below line aa, viewing Fig. 2, there would be an endwise movement of bar 8, to the right, instead of to the left of said figure.

Irrespective of whether the pivot section extends completely across the bore of the barrel 1, it will be clear that any extension of said section from the bend 20, will serve to increase the leverage of the deflating lever, and obviously, it is important to make this increase to the maximum, as shown. Vith this greatly increased leverage, in addition to the fact that movement of bar 8 toward the pen end greatly decreases the resistance in operating the mechanism, it will be clear that I obtain not only effective action. but I obtain it with a minimum of exertion and a maximum of freedom.

It will now be clear that the sack deflating bar and lever, together with the pivotal mounting of the latter, constitutes sack collapsing mechanism adapted to be operated from the butt end of the barrel and serving to first impart a preliminary endwise collapsing thrust on the sack toward the pen end of the barrel, to neutralize draw on the sack, said mechanism imparting a final collapsing thrust toward one wall of the barrel.

In large size pens, the space required for movement of the fingeugrip section 9, is ample, as shown. However, in the smaller sizes, this space is very limited. Therefore, to obtain the required movement of section 9, it is desirable to so shorten limb 11, that section 9, in the normal position shown in Fig. 1,- will lie very close to the ripper perimeter of extension 4, so as to have plenty of room to be depressed. without coming in con- Now by reason of this the lever and the collapsible bar of rigid instead of resilient material, and it will be noted that I do not employ a spring or other means for returning or nniintaining these parts in the normal position shown in Fig. 1. From the foregoing, the advantage of having a sack that substantially fills the bore of the barrel will now be understood as inflation of the sack serves to restore and maintain the lever and bar in the position shown in Fig. 1.

It is believed that the advantages of my invention will be fully understood from the foregoing description, and while I have herein shown one specific form of my inven tion, I do not Wish to be limited thereto ex cept for such limitations as the claims may import.

I claim I 1. In a self filling fountain pen, a barrel, a collapsible ink sack in said barrel, a rigid sack collapsing bar in said barrel alongside said sack, a rigid lever having one end forming a bar actuating section disposed between said bar and barrel on one side of the longitudinal axis of said barrel, an intermediate portion of said lever being looped and forming a pivotal section'extending across the longitudinal axis of said barrel to a point opposite the location of said actuating section and being pivoted to said barrel at the bight of said loop, and the remaining end of said lever extending endwise and outwardly through said barrel and forming a linger grip section whereby said lever may be manually operated.

2. In a self filling fountain pen, a barrel, a collapsible ink sack in said barrel, a sack collapsing bar ins'aid barrel alongside said sack, a lever having one end. forming a bar actuating section and pivoted to said bar, the remaining end of said lever extending endwise outwardly through said barrel and forming a finger-grip section, and means pivoting an intermediate portion of said lever to said barrel at a point opposite the location of said bar and actuating section, whereby collapsing actuation of said lever will shift said bar endwise toward the pen end of said barrel to neutralize draw on said sack. v

3. In a self filling fountain pen, a barrel, a collapsible ink sack in said barrel, a sack collapsing bar between said sack and barrel, a tiltable lever in said barrel having one end forming a bar actuating section and pivoted to said bar, the remainingend of said lever extending endwise outwardly through said barrel and forming a fingergrip section, and causing said bar to shift endwise toward the pen end while said bar is collapsing said sack.

4. I11 a self filling fountain pen, a barrel, a collapsible ink sack in said barrel, and sack collapsing mechanism in said barrel and operable from the butt end thereof for imparting a preliminary endwise collapsing thrust on said sack toward the pen end to neutralize draw on the sack and a final collapsing thrust toward one Wall of the barrel.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I hereby affix my signature.

LEWIS M. TEBBEL. 

